Old Gold 2 | Upper Midwest Sampler | 1971

Old Gold… its the title of an FM format on WHFI Detroit heard about 2 minutes into this composite. Its an accurate description of this compilation. There is one station that’s out of place here… first on the tape is from Birmingham, AL. There’s so much on this particular collection of airchecks its hard to describe. We get a ton of CKLW, then we’re treated to Big Ron O’Brien on WCFL @ the 6 minute mark. Add in WCAR, CKLW-FM 94 and so many other minor and middle-market stations and this is most definitely worth your 25+ minutes.

14 Comments

It was hard for any station to match the power and talent of the Big 8. It was interesting to hear the FM aproach of WCAR with some of those legendary voices such as Dave Prince and Joey Rion. Fun to hear all of it!!

It was fun to hear the Olde Golde format, which i was proud to have produced at Programming DB in the 70’s. It was ahead of its time, especially the jingles which i loved doing. If anyone has some airchecks of this I would love to get them. Thanks, Jim Hampton

Listening to the CKLW clip, the jock calls himself Bill Gable…. he sounds VERY much like Bill Wade who was heard on KFRC-San Francisco in 1968… also heard is newsman John Belmont, later of ABC Radio Network News.

Thanks VERY VERY much for making this Draper-Blore Olde Golde aircheck available! I have long been trying to see if ANYONE had posted one of these on the Web, but had no luck until now. This brings back FUN memories of listening to Olde Golde WAAAAY back in the early 1970s on KISM-FM in Bellingham, Wash.

It was a great format. I also greatly enjoyed the old Drake-Chenualt automated Hit Parade and Solid Gold formats on stations in the Seattle area. I have found several airchecks for that, but this is the ONLY one I have found on the Web for Olde Golde. If there are any others out there, I’d love to know about it.

Is this how to reach Steve West? I tried to connect with the Old Gold 2/Upper Midwest Sampler, and could no longer do so. RealAudio indicated that the server no longer exists. Correct? Any way to reestablish this file?

Hi,I grew up and still live here in Phila. I’m 51 years old and as a teen enjoyed listening, not only to WFIL and WIBG, but out of town stations, such as, WNBC, WABC, WLS, CKLW, WCFL, WKBW, among others at night. CKLW was probably my favorite because, of the djs and their jingles, especially the top of the hour ones. I now enjoy listening to old airchecks, I can find on the internet. I just heard the composite Midwest sampler– Volume II from 1971. Near the end of it, there’s an aircheck from Don O’Brien on CKLW. I don’t ever remember hearing him there. Do you have any info about how long he worked there, and what time slot he was on. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and consideration.

Hi..Greetings from Canada…I was one of those CKLW Big 8 Jocks in the 70’s. Bill Gable was my boss,I replaced Cosmic Bob Moody…I’m looking for my own air check from 1978-79..nights & weekends on CKLW. Lost my airchecks in a storage fire.

If you ever run across one or know who has a good CKLW collection..I will pay for my own aircheck…Thanks Len Robinson

One correction to the exhibit description – the “Birmingham” mentioned in the first clip on this aircheck is Birmingham, Michigan, not Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham, Michigan, in suburban Oakland County, is the city of license for 94.7 FM WHFI (later WHNE, WMJC and now WCSX). Other than that, great aircheck.